ALPINE, Texas – Helping landowners make the best decisions about how to effectively steward their properties is a key focus for the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University. That’s why BRI is helping to bring a special workshop to West Texas.
The new “Small Acreage – Big Opportunity” program is a joint effort of Texas Wildlife Association and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to reach landowners across the state who are managing small acreage property. Landowners who steward small properties face unique management challenges, because most information currently available to landowners focuses on management of large properties. Statewide, small properties are increasing, including in West Texas, but the owners of these properties may have difficulty scaling down big recommendations to fit a smaller acreage.
“Texas is getting 1,000 new residents each day, and one of the side effects of this population growth is reflected in land trends across the state,” said Dr. Louis Harveson, who is the Dan Allen Hughes, Jr., BRI Endowed Director and Regents’ Professor of Wildlife Management at Sul Ross State University.
“Ranches are getting smaller, meaning we have to be more strategic in our conservation efforts across all properties, big or small. These new workshops focus on taking natural resource management prescriptions to a smaller scale, so that they have a positive impact on conservation.”
The intensive one-day workshop will be held on August 28 at Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park near Fort Davis. The workshop will teach landowners how to evaluate their property’s habitat and what options are available for wildlife management, including cost-share programs. The workshops will also connect landowners with local professionals who can walk alongside them as they steward and learn their lands. The registration fee is $80, which includes lunch. Interested landowners can register HEREhttps://www.texas-wildlife.org/resources/events/small-acreage-big-opportunity-fort-davis.
For more than a decade, the Borderlands Research Institute has encouraged effective land stewardship of the Chihuahuan Desert. Housed at Sul Ross State University, the Borderlands Research Institute builds on a long-lasting partnership with private landowners, the university’s Range and Wildlife Program, and cooperating state, federal, and non-governmental organizations. Through research, education, and outreach, the Borderlands Research Institute is helping to conserve the last frontier of Texas and the Southwest.
